1.Make a floor plan or use name cards Make an outline of the classroom, and on the first day go student by student, asking their names and completing your plan. Leave this on your desk and, for the first few classes at least, make sure people sit in the same spot for the beginning of the lesson. Or ask students to make a little name card and place it on the desk in front of them.
2. Play a name game. Yes, this is the first thing that many an English teacher does with a class. It often involves tossing a ball around and calling out names. I was right into ball-tossing around ten years ago in my career and then all of a sudden I thought (perhaps unreasonably?) that it was too childish. Of course if you are teaching children then fine. Another name game involves saying names in a chain “My name’s X.” “This is X. My name’s Y” etc. Or adding something personal about yourself “My name’s X and I thought Terminator Salvation was awful” “His name’s X and he thought Terminator Salvation was awful, my name’s Y and I loved the film the Hangover”. You get the idea. The problem with name games is that if you have a class of over twenty students the ones at the end of the chain start moaning that it’s too hard. In that case, divide them into two big groups.
3. Use names as much as possible. More effective than a one-off game is to start using students’ names as quickly and as often as possible. This is the way I remember. There may be mistakes at first, but sooner or later it always sinks in. Use names when you call on students, when you praise them or when you ask questions. If you make a mistake with a student’s name, make sure you use the right name the next time and do it quickly.
4. Take register aloud often. Make a regular habit of taking the register/calling attendance. To keep you, and the students, alert you can add variations to this routine. Instead of saying “present” ask them to respond by saying the name of a fruit or vegetable, or an animal. Or ask them to respond with “present and…” plus another adjective (e.g. present and ready, present and tired, present and happy, present and bored…). One variation I often do is to take register by SPELLING students’ names in English to which they have to answer. To add more variety, ask different students to do this task.
5. Ask them when you forget. I think many people (myself included) are nervous or ashamed if they forget someone’s name. Often this results in avoidance strategy (“oh no, can’t remember her name… ok I’ll ask Mika instead”) which means some students may end up getting ignored. Don’t be afraid to apologise and ask a student’s name – “Excuse me, I’ve forgotten your name/ I’m sorry, what’s your name again?” This kind of formula is in fact very useful language to teach students as well.
6. Be devious. Of course, there are more devious tricks we have up our sleeve. I wrote about some of these here, and they include ways of getting students’ names. Some other of my favourites are: to ask a student on the spot to spell his/her name, ostensibly to test their spelling skills; to take the register and make a big show of pretending that you don’t know students’ names (when in fact you don’t for some of them); or to play a “correct the teacher” game where you say things and the students have to correct you (start by saying “Your name is Charles/Charlotte” to a student whose name you have forgotten and they have to correct you). Thanks Kyle Mawer for teaching me some of these tricks by the way. If six ways just aren’t enough for you, if you’re still having problems and want more tips then go to this post by Alex Case. He’s got a bunch more!
Here are some tips to help teachers remember students names: 1. On the first day of school I have each student simply take an index card, fold it in half hot-dog style, and write their name on one side. Students then place that index card with their name facing out towards the teacher. Students are told to place these cards on their desk in the same manner for the first week, but I rarely need it past day 2 or 3. 2. Once the index cards are in place I make sure to use their name EVERY chance I get. While I am discussing the classroom rules and procedures I make sure to use the students names. For example, When Samantha walks into the room this is what she is going to do.This is how Sarah will start on the do now assignment on the board. At the end of class Greg will write in his planner. When I call on students I make sure to use their name When I hand something out to the students and I'll say please pass these back Kailey. When a student says thank you I say You're welcome Trina. When giving positive feedback I say, Great answer Jessica When a student asks to use the bathroom, I say Yes, Jesse Bottom line: use their names at every chance you get. With their index cards out and facing the teacher it is easy to do. 3. Stand at the door when class begins and say good morning John, good morning Sarah, good morning Liz as they enter the classroom. 4. Here is the biggest tip of all if you really want to get to know the students names make sure to use last year's yearbook. If you are lucky enough to have your class list before school starts then simply spend a few minutes each day going through last year's yearbook and study the faces and names. This only takes a few minutes and helps so much…I usually have 75% of my class names down before they ever walk in the door for the first class. Then I use the yearbook during those first few days to refresh my memory. By combining these tips every teacher should be able to learn all their students names within the first couple of days. Again, this will have a huge impact on classroom management as well the student-teacher relationship…which will, in turn, lead to more success for both student and teacher.
If you can’t manage your classroom you can’t teach!
Memorizing the names of a room full of new students can be a daunting experience. Yet, it’s worth the effort. Students appreciate instructors who make the effort to remember their names. This week’s tips help you make the task easy.
Remembering Your Students' Names (Monday)
It is a humbling task to learn and remember the names of 20 or 40 students. Students tend to remember instructors who don’t remember students’ names as lacking motivation and being unable to inspire motivation in students. Use these tips to help remember names: Familiarize yourself with the names on the roster before class. Give a writing assignment and study the students for ways to associate names with faces.
Memorizing Your Students' Names (Tuesday)
Use students’ habits to help you memorize names. Students sit in the same seats class after class. Use the rows of seats to set up a framework in your mind. Look for identifying features that people in the first row have in common with their names. Do the same with the second row and so forth.
Learning Student Names Quickly (Wednesday)
Have students introduce themselves, and write an identifying tag beside their name. Try these tips for easy memorization, and check out the Download Depot for a memory reference sheet: Have students give their names and tell where they live and something about themselves. Listen carefully to how students speak and to what they say. Notice what comes to your mind about each student and jot down your thoughts beside the student’s name.
Reinforcing Student Names in Your Memory (Thursday)
Memory experts agree that reinforcing the information you want to commit to memory is a necessary part of the memorization process. To reinforce the names of your students, follow these tips: Spend ten minutes after class going over the roster, saying aloud the name of each student, and reading any identifying tags you wrote next to each student's name. Close your eyes and “see” each student’s face as you say his or her name aloud.
Refreshing Your Memory (Friday)
Make up a seating chart and review it right before class. Write each student’s name on an index card. Arrange the index cards to match the students’ seating order in the first class. You can rearrange the index cards if students change seats. Try this tip: Read aloud each card in order, starting with either the first row across the room or the left aisle. Close your eyes and “see” the students as you read their names.
Compiled by Michael Palmer, Faculty Consultant, Teaching Resource Center**
Building rapport with your students goes a long way toward developing a positive classroom dynamic and facilitating the students' overall learning experience. One of the simplest ways to begin connecting with your students is to learn their names. What follows is a compilation of some tricks, strategies, and activities which will help you quickly learn your students' names. Several of the methods will also encourage your students to learn each others' names as well.
Tried & True Tips: Applicable to a variety of class sizes and pedagogical styles, these easily implemented ideas will have you calling your students by name before you know it.
Before your course begins, peruse the ID photographs on Instructional Toolkit. To access the pictures, set up a course page in Toolkit, download your class roll, and then click on the photo icons next to the students’ names. You can also view and print all the photos by selecting ‘Display photo composite of the entire class (PDF)’.
Review students' first names several times before the first class, trying to memorize as many of them as you can. Then use the names as often as reasonably possible in the first few classes. Review the names right after class, picturing faces with names and noting any distinguishing characteristics.
In the second or third class, review students' names with them; e.g., "You're Bill, right? Susan. Your name is Mark." This feels risky, but students love it. When you cannot remember someone's name (or when you pretend you cannot), ask other students for help. You will find that you know many more names than your students.
If you have a few minutes to yourself, just before class or during group activities, spend some time testing your knowledge of students' names: Which ones can you name? What are the names of those you cannot identify? What identifiable characteristic will help you remember certain students?
Have students bring a tent card that sits on their desk or table and displays their names to others in class. This serves as a visible reminder to you and rest of the students. If, instead, you have the students pick up their tent card from you before each session, you not only have the reminder, but you also have a means to track attendance.
Personally return assignments to your students during individual or group activities. While this can be time consuming at first, it allows you to associate written names with faces. It also allows you to associate the work, style, penmanship, etc. with the student.
Frequently use the names of students you do know, those who participate, who come to your office, whom you find memorable for any reason. Students whose names you don't use will tend to feel that you know them, as well. This strategy is especially effective in large classes.
Not-So-Tried but True Tips: Particularly helpful in small to medium or discussion-based classes, these ideas will not only help you learn your students' names but will also help your students get to know each other and feel comfortable with each other.
"Playful" repetition: One successful strategy requires each student to say her name as well as the names of all the students in front of her. For example, the first student would say "I'm Ann" and the second student would say "I'm Bob, that's Ann," etc. By the time it's the last student's turn, everyone's name has been repeated (and corrected for pronunciation) several times. Another memory aid starts with the students in a circle. One student tosses a ball or object across the circle while saying the name of the person catching the ball. Everyone must catch the ball before anyone touches it twice. Once everyone has been named, ask the students to see how fast they can repeat the process without dropping the ball or forgetting a name. For variety, use two balls simultaneously. Complete both exercises by trying to name every student. Be sure to make the activities fun, so that students who are not aural learners or who have bad memories do not feel pressure to perform.
Little Known Fact: Ask your students to share a "little known fact" about themselves, something memorable, interesting, weird, or unusual. In addition to sharing the information directly to the class, the students can write their unknown fact on information sheets, which you can use to help remember them and get to know them better.
Commonalities: Arrange your students into groups of three or more, have them introduce themselves to each other, and then come up with three (not-so-obvious) things they all have in common. Have them report back to the class with brief introductions, incorporating their commonalities.
Alliterating Adjectives: Ask each student to pick an adjective which starts with the same letter as their first name and also defines a personal characteristic, e.g. Enthusiastic Ellen or Gregarious Greg. The alliteration is fun and serves as a mnemonic for remembering their name. Ask the students to introduce themselves and explain their choice of adjective.
Scavenger Hunt: Try a scavenger hunt based on a set of questions related to the course that students ask each other. Invite students to find a different person who can respond "yes" to each question, e.g., Who has traveled to Europe? Who speaks another language? Who knows two causes of the American Revolution? Who has done volunteer work with small children? After students have had time to find colleagues who fit the descriptions, the follow-up discussion can include getting more details about the activities most pertinent to the course.
Make it a priority. Focusing on any goal is the first step towards making it happen.
Read the registrar’s list before the first class. Pay attention to the names that may be difficult to pronounce.
Take roll call on the first day of class. Take your time, pay close attention and repeat each student’s name. Make sure that you have the proper pronunciation. If a student’s name is unfamiliar be sure to ask explicitly if you’ve got it right. Students who are shy, or from cultures where greater deference to authority is the norm, may hesitate to correct you unless prompted and yet will still find it grating to be referred to incorrectly the entire semester.
Ask the students what they prefer to be called and be sure to write down nicknames on the class roster. You may want to preface your roll call with a request for nicknames: while you are likely to wonder whether Elizabeth whether goes by “Liz” or “Beth”, you’ll have no idea that Amy Jones goes by “A.J.”
If you have access to students’ photos, use them to familiarize yourself with names as part of your preparation in the first weeks of class. My client Jim had been unaware that he had access to student I.D. photos via the “Facebook” until he checked with the registrar.
If there are no photos available, consider taking your own photographs. In Tools for Teaching, Barbara Gross Davis suggests taking Polaroid shots of students and pasting them on index cards with the students’ names and other personal information. Creating class “I.D. cards” is even easier with access to digital cameras.
Often it is most difficult to remember foreign students’ names, which may be unfamiliar to Western ears. Be sure to write a phonetic version of the name if needed. For example, in one of my classes the name of a Chinese student was transliterated as Xiou — but pronounced something like “Shaw.”
A common memory trick is to link the name with something or someone else – thus my student Xiou became the unforgettable George Bernard “Shaw” in my mind.
Think of another person you know who has the same first name as the student. Then make a link using a visual image. For example, I imagine my short-haired brunette student Susan with the wild grey mane of my cousin Susan, who hadn’t changed the style of her coiffure since the late 1960’s. The incongruous image cements the student’s name in my cortex.
Use humor in your associative links to make a lasting impression. I kept getting confused about whether a student was Egla or Elga until I imagined her with a hard-boiled Egg of a head.
Find a rhyme to create mental associations: Is Jim slim? Or an adjective that tips you off about the name’s first letter: Is Thomas tall? Can you visualize Sarah in a sarong? Again, humor helps. Thus Slim Jim becomes a life-size stick of dried beef sausage. And Sarah, well, sarongs fall off easily, right? (Need I admonish you that the mnemonic devises should be kept to yourself?)
Use your students’ names frequently both to call on them to participate and to refer to previous points made in the discussion. Davis points out that this technique can be used in even very large classes: Ask students their name when they make a comment and later refer to it as “Jeff’s point” or “Audrey’s contribution.”
When you take roll, consider creating a map of the seating arrangement labeled with student’s names. I’m always surprised at how consistently students sit in the same seats, or at least the same quadrant of the room. In my small classes, we sit around a large table and for the first few classes I write down who chooses to sit where as students arrive. Writing the names down also helps commit them to memory. Some professors ask students to sit in the same seats for a few classes, a request that communicates their earnest efforts to learn names. I prefer to keep my mnemonic methods mysterious. Either way works.
Using name tags for the first few class sessions can help students learn one another’s names at the same time it helps you. I ask my students to write their first names in very large letters so that I can read them from the front of the classroom.
When teaching very large classes it is tempting to give up. Resist the temptation. Try learning five names per class and try to use those names.
Use name tags or cards. One professor I know uses name cards for her large classes. Students pick up the cards as they file into class and place them at the front of their desks. This United Nations style name card strategy is also useful because the tags that aren’t retrieved indicate absent students.
With any sized enrollment, between classes, look at registrar’s list during week and see how many faces you can recall.
Make sure you know the names of students who visit you during office hours. Take a few minutes to ask the students about themselves, their major, where they are from, etc. Personal contact is one of the ways you can increase the effectiveness of your teaching.
Becoming an expert at memorizing names is a small but respectful step toward demonstrating personal investment in your students’ well-being. Building a mutually respectful relationship with students is as important as having an organized lesson plan, giving a dynamic lecture, or encouraging enthusiastic class participation. Positive student-teacher relationships foster engagement and achievement. Learning your students’ names quickly and well may also provide a small boost of your end-of-term evaluations. The positive effects on your teaching reputation, departmental reviews and chances for tenure — vis-a-vis evaluations, future class enrollments, etc. — are secondary fringe benefits that may provide pragmatic motivation to invest your energy in the task. Learning student names is just a minor, obvious task among the multitude of steps required to become an excellent teacher. However, like many basics of good teaching, it is often neglected. Being able to identify a student by name may be the first step toward cultivating a level of rapport that will make a difference in your students’ lives and your own career. Do you have any additional tips for remembering students’ names? Let me know and I’ll share them with other readers.
___
http://tutortraining.econ.usyd.edu.au/pdf/first_tutorial/Remembering_names.pdf Remembering students’ names
1. Verify the name. Whether you get your students to introduce themselves or each other
make sure you have the correct given name. “How do you spell that?” “What name do you
prefer?” Just make sure you have the correct name.
2. Say the name quickly. Make some statement that includes the name right after the
introduction e.g. 'What was the last movie you saw Greg?' immediately after Greg has
nominated movies as one of his interests.
3. Relate the name. Relate this person to a person or thing or a word or image that will cue
you to remember the name again.
4. Ask a question including the name. See point 1 above but continue to use the person’s
name during the lesson. You might direct a question to them or you might restate something
they have said. Just make sure you use their name.
5. Use the name frequently. See step 4 above
6. Mention the name to someone else. When you are summarising or referring to a
student’s work use their name. After the lesson try to remember where they were sitting.
Mentally go through the list as you complete your class record or enter marks.
7. Use name plates or tags. Make up cardboard ‘tents’ for the students to write their names
on in thick pen and place on the desk in front of them. Ask students to write their name on
both sides of the ‘tent’ so that you and other students can see their name from anywhere in
the room. Ask students to bring the name plate each week.
8. Use the attendance list. When you mark the roll make sure you look at the face of each
student so that you begin to associate the name and face. Make a note in the margin (in
pencil) of some obvious characteristic of each student to help trigger your memory of who
they are.
9. Use the attendance list to select a few names beforehand to ask questions of those
students during the tutorial. At least you are then calling on students by name and will be
able to learn their names more quickly.
10. Write down or remember one thing about each student e.g. their major or where they
work and draw on that information when asking questions if appropriate. For example, “Asha,
you’ve worked for an NGO, would you like to comment on your experience in relation to topic
Y?”
11. Use a seating plan. Draw a plan of the room and write each student’s name in the space
where they sit. You’ll find that after the second or third week they settle into the same spot
each session and from then on you can just glance at your ‘map’ to see who you’re talking to.
Variation: Ask the students to sit in the same place each week.
12. Ask the students to help you. Admit to the students that you have trouble with names.
Make it a practice to call them by name whenever you talk to them or they respond to a
question. Ask them to help you out and don’t worry if you get a name wrong. For a while
they’ll need to prompt you but soon you’ll find yourself remembering more and more names
and faces in the group.
Some tips on remembering names:
http://sixthings.net/2009/09/04/six-ways-to-learn-andor-remember-your-students-names/
1. Make a floor plan or use name cards
Make an outline of the classroom, and on the first day go student by student, asking their names and completing your plan. Leave this on your desk and, for the first few classes at least, make sure people sit in the same spot for the beginning of the lesson. Or ask students to make a little name card and place it on the desk in front of them.
2. Play a name game.
Yes, this is the first thing that many an English teacher does with a class. It often involves tossing a ball around and calling out names. I was right into ball-tossing around ten years ago in my career and then all of a sudden I thought (perhaps unreasonably?) that it was too childish. Of course if you are teaching children then fine.
Another name game involves saying names in a chain “My name’s X.” “This is X. My name’s Y” etc. Or adding something personal about yourself “My name’s X and I thought Terminator Salvation was awful” “His name’s X and he thought Terminator Salvation was awful, my name’s Y and I loved the film the Hangover”. You get the idea. The problem with name games is that if you have a class of over twenty students the ones at the end of the chain start moaning that it’s too hard. In that case, divide them into two big groups.
3. Use names as much as possible.
More effective than a one-off game is to start using students’ names as quickly and as often as possible. This is the way I remember. There may be mistakes at first, but sooner or later it always sinks in. Use names when you call on students, when you praise them or when you ask questions. If you make a mistake with a student’s name, make sure you use the right name the next time and do it quickly.
4. Take register aloud often.
Make a regular habit of taking the register/calling attendance. To keep you, and the students, alert you can add variations to this routine. Instead of saying “present” ask them to respond by saying the name of a fruit or vegetable, or an animal. Or ask them to respond with “present and…” plus another adjective (e.g. present and ready, present and tired, present and happy, present and bored…). One variation I often do is to take register by SPELLING students’ names in English to which they have to answer.
To add more variety, ask different students to do this task.
5. Ask them when you forget.
I think many people (myself included) are nervous or ashamed if they forget someone’s name. Often this results in avoidance strategy (“oh no, can’t remember her name… ok I’ll ask Mika instead”) which means some students may end up getting ignored. Don’t be afraid to apologise and ask a student’s name – “Excuse me, I’ve forgotten your name/ I’m sorry, what’s your name again?” This kind of formula is in fact very useful language to teach students as well.
6. Be devious.
Of course, there are more devious tricks we have up our sleeve. I wrote about some of these here, and they include ways of getting students’ names. Some other of my favourites are: to ask a student on the spot to spell his/her name, ostensibly to test their spelling skills; to take the register and make a big show of pretending that you don’t know students’ names (when in fact you don’t for some of them); or to play a “correct the teacher” game where you say things and the students have to correct you (start by saying “Your name is Charles/Charlotte” to a student whose name you have forgotten and they have to correct you). Thanks Kyle Mawer for teaching me some of these tricks by the way.
If six ways just aren’t enough for you, if you’re still having problems and want more tips then go to this post by Alex Case. He’s got a bunch more!
http://teaching-tips-machine.com/blog/back-to-school-tip-for-teachers-remembering-student-names/
Here are some tips to help teachers remember students names:
1. On the first day of school I have each student simply take an index card, fold it in half hot-dog style, and write their name on one side. Students then place that index card with their name facing out towards the teacher.
Students are told to place these cards on their desk in the same manner for the first week, but I rarely need it past day 2 or 3.
2. Once the index cards are in place I make sure to use their name EVERY chance I get.
While I am discussing the classroom rules and procedures I make sure to use the students names. For example, When Samantha walks into the room this is what she is going to do.This is how Sarah will start on the do now assignment on the board. At the end of class Greg will write in his planner.
When I call on students I make sure to use their name
When I hand something out to the students and I'll say please pass these back Kailey.
When a student says thank you I say You're welcome Trina.
When giving positive feedback I say, Great answer Jessica
When a student asks to use the bathroom, I say Yes, Jesse
Bottom line: use their names at every chance you get. With their index cards out and facing the teacher it is easy to do.
3. Stand at the door when class begins and say good morning John, good morning Sarah, good morning Liz as they enter the classroom.
4. Here is the biggest tip of all if you really want to get to know the students names make sure to use last year's yearbook.
If you are lucky enough to have your class list before school starts then simply spend a few minutes each day going through last year's yearbook and study the faces and names.
This only takes a few minutes and helps so much…I usually have 75% of my class names down before they ever walk in the door for the first class. Then I use the yearbook during those first few days to refresh my memory.
By combining these tips every teacher should be able to learn all their students names within the first couple of days.
Again, this will have a huge impact on classroom management as well the student-teacher relationship…which will, in turn, lead to more success for both student and teacher.
If you can’t manage your classroom you can’t teach!
http://www.glencoe.com/ps/teachingtoday/
Learning Students' Names
Memorizing the names of a room full of new students can be a daunting experience. Yet, it’s worth the effort. Students appreciate instructors who make the effort to remember their names. This week’s tips help you make the task easy.
Remembering Your Students' Names (Monday)
It is a humbling task to learn and remember the names of 20 or 40 students. Students tend to remember instructors who don’t remember students’ names as lacking motivation and being unable to inspire motivation in students. Use these tips to help remember names: Familiarize yourself with the names on the roster before class. Give a writing assignment and study the students for ways to associate names with faces.
Memorizing Your Students' Names (Tuesday)
Use students’ habits to help you memorize names. Students sit in the same seats class after class. Use the rows of seats to set up a framework in your mind. Look for identifying features that people in the first row have in common with their names. Do the same with the second row and so forth.
Learning Student Names Quickly (Wednesday)
Have students introduce themselves, and write an identifying tag beside their name. Try these tips for easy memorization, and check out the Download Depot for a memory reference sheet: Have students give their names and tell where they live and something about themselves. Listen carefully to how students speak and to what they say. Notice what comes to your mind about each student and jot down your thoughts beside the student’s name.
Reinforcing Student Names in Your Memory (Thursday)
Memory experts agree that reinforcing the information you want to commit to memory is a necessary part of the memorization process. To reinforce the names of your students, follow these tips: Spend ten minutes after class going over the roster, saying aloud the name of each student, and reading any identifying tags you wrote next to each student's name. Close your eyes and “see” each student’s face as you say his or her name aloud.
Refreshing Your Memory (Friday)
Make up a seating chart and review it right before class. Write each student’s name on an index card. Arrange the index cards to match the students’ seating order in the first class. You can rearrange the index cards if students change seats. Try this tip: Read aloud each card in order, starting with either the first row across the room or the left aisle. Close your eyes and “see” the students as you read their names.
http://trc.virginia.edu/Publications/Teaching_Concerns/Misc_Tips/Learn_Names.htm
Not Quite 101 Ways to Learning Students' Names
Compiled by Michael Palmer, Faculty Consultant, Teaching Resource Center**
http://www.successfulacademic.com/ezines/mar222006.htm
How To Learn Student Names:
- Make it a priority. Focusing on any goal is the first step towards making it happen.
- Read the registrar’s list before the first class. Pay attention to the names that may be difficult to pronounce.
- Take roll call on the first day of class. Take your time, pay close attention and repeat each student’s name. Make sure that you have the proper pronunciation. If a student’s name is unfamiliar be sure to ask explicitly if you’ve got it right. Students who are shy, or from cultures where greater deference to authority is the norm, may hesitate to correct you unless prompted and yet will still find it grating to be referred to incorrectly the entire semester.
- Ask the students what they prefer to be called and be sure to write down nicknames on the class roster. You may want to preface your roll call with a request for nicknames: while you are likely to wonder whether Elizabeth whether goes by “Liz” or “Beth”, you’ll have no idea that Amy Jones goes by “A.J.”
- If you have access to students’ photos, use them to familiarize yourself with names as part of your preparation in the first weeks of class. My client Jim had been unaware that he had access to student I.D. photos via the “Facebook” until he checked with the registrar.
- If there are no photos available, consider taking your own photographs. In Tools for Teaching, Barbara Gross Davis suggests taking Polaroid shots of students and pasting them on index cards with the students’ names and other personal information. Creating class “I.D. cards” is even easier with access to digital cameras.
- Often it is most difficult to remember foreign students’ names, which may be unfamiliar to Western ears. Be sure to write a phonetic version of the name if needed. For example, in one of my classes the name of a Chinese student was transliterated as Xiou — but pronounced something like “Shaw.”
- A common memory trick is to link the name with something or someone else – thus my student Xiou became the unforgettable George Bernard “Shaw” in my mind.
- Think of another person you know who has the same first name as the student. Then make a link using a visual image. For example, I imagine my short-haired brunette student Susan with the wild grey mane of my cousin Susan, who hadn’t changed the style of her coiffure since the late 1960’s. The incongruous image cements the student’s name in my cortex.
- Use humor in your associative links to make a lasting impression. I kept getting confused about whether a student was Egla or Elga until I imagined her with a hard-boiled Egg of a head.
- Find a rhyme to create mental associations: Is Jim slim? Or an adjective that tips you off about the name’s first letter: Is Thomas tall? Can you visualize Sarah in a sarong? Again, humor helps. Thus Slim Jim becomes a life-size stick of dried beef sausage. And Sarah, well, sarongs fall off easily, right? (Need I admonish you that the mnemonic devises should be kept to yourself?)
- Use your students’ names frequently both to call on them to participate and to refer to previous points made in the discussion. Davis points out that this technique can be used in even very large classes: Ask students their name when they make a comment and later refer to it as “Jeff’s point” or “Audrey’s contribution.”
- When you take roll, consider creating a map of the seating arrangement labeled with student’s names. I’m always surprised at how consistently students sit in the same seats, or at least the same quadrant of the room. In my small classes, we sit around a large table and for the first few classes I write down who chooses to sit where as students arrive. Writing the names down also helps commit them to memory. Some professors ask students to sit in the same seats for a few classes, a request that communicates their earnest efforts to learn names. I prefer to keep my mnemonic methods mysterious. Either way works.
- Using name tags for the first few class sessions can help students learn one another’s names at the same time it helps you. I ask my students to write their first names in very large letters so that I can read them from the front of the classroom.
- When teaching very large classes it is tempting to give up. Resist the temptation. Try learning five names per class and try to use those names.
- Use name tags or cards. One professor I know uses name cards for her large classes. Students pick up the cards as they file into class and place them at the front of their desks. This United Nations style name card strategy is also useful because the tags that aren’t retrieved indicate absent students.
- With any sized enrollment, between classes, look at registrar’s list during week and see how many faces you can recall.
- Make sure you know the names of students who visit you during office hours. Take a few minutes to ask the students about themselves, their major, where they are from, etc. Personal contact is one of the ways you can increase the effectiveness of your teaching.
Becoming an expert at memorizing names is a small but respectful step toward demonstrating personal investment in your students’ well-being. Building a mutually respectful relationship with students is as important as having an organized lesson plan, giving a dynamic lecture, or encouraging enthusiastic class participation. Positive student-teacher relationships foster engagement and achievement.Learning your students’ names quickly and well may also provide a small boost of your end-of-term evaluations. The positive effects on your teaching reputation, departmental reviews and chances for tenure — vis-a-vis evaluations, future class enrollments, etc. — are secondary fringe benefits that may provide pragmatic motivation to invest your energy in the task.
Learning student names is just a minor, obvious task among the multitude of steps required to become an excellent teacher. However, like many basics of good teaching, it is often neglected. Being able to identify a student by name may be the first step toward cultivating a level of rapport that will make a difference in your students’ lives and your own career.
Do you have any additional tips for remembering students’ names? Let me know and I’ll share them with other readers.
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http://tutortraining.econ.usyd.edu.au/pdf/first_tutorial/Remembering_names.pdf
Remembering students’ names
1. Verify the name. Whether you get your students to introduce themselves or each other
make sure you have the correct given name. “How do you spell that?” “What name do you
prefer?” Just make sure you have the correct name.
2. Say the name quickly. Make some statement that includes the name right after the
introduction e.g. 'What was the last movie you saw Greg?' immediately after Greg has
nominated movies as one of his interests.
3. Relate the name. Relate this person to a person or thing or a word or image that will cue
you to remember the name again.
4. Ask a question including the name. See point 1 above but continue to use the person’s
name during the lesson. You might direct a question to them or you might restate something
they have said. Just make sure you use their name.
5. Use the name frequently. See step 4 above
6. Mention the name to someone else. When you are summarising or referring to a
student’s work use their name. After the lesson try to remember where they were sitting.
Mentally go through the list as you complete your class record or enter marks.
7. Use name plates or tags. Make up cardboard ‘tents’ for the students to write their names
on in thick pen and place on the desk in front of them. Ask students to write their name on
both sides of the ‘tent’ so that you and other students can see their name from anywhere in
the room. Ask students to bring the name plate each week.
8. Use the attendance list. When you mark the roll make sure you look at the face of each
student so that you begin to associate the name and face. Make a note in the margin (in
pencil) of some obvious characteristic of each student to help trigger your memory of who
they are.
9. Use the attendance list to select a few names beforehand to ask questions of those
students during the tutorial. At least you are then calling on students by name and will be
able to learn their names more quickly.
10. Write down or remember one thing about each student e.g. their major or where they
work and draw on that information when asking questions if appropriate. For example, “Asha,
you’ve worked for an NGO, would you like to comment on your experience in relation to topic
Y?”
11. Use a seating plan. Draw a plan of the room and write each student’s name in the space
where they sit. You’ll find that after the second or third week they settle into the same spot
each session and from then on you can just glance at your ‘map’ to see who you’re talking to.
Variation: Ask the students to sit in the same place each week.
12. Ask the students to help you. Admit to the students that you have trouble with names.
Make it a practice to call them by name whenever you talk to them or they respond to a
question. Ask them to help you out and don’t worry if you get a name wrong. For a while
they’ll need to prompt you but soon you’ll find yourself remembering more and more names
and faces in the group.
Adapted from http://www.icvet.tafensw.edu.au/resources/qanda/teaching_tips1.htm and http://
www.icvet.tafensw.edu.au/resources/qanda/teaching_tips3.htm by Dr Amani Bell, Faculty of Economics and
Business, University of Sydney